My Life in Cars: 2010 to 2020

My Life in Cars: 2010 to 2020

We moved from Bardon in Brisbane to Chapel Hill in 2000, spent 3 years from 2007 in Abu Dhabi UAE then to Helensvale on the Gold Coast on our return.

Mitsubishi Pajero Series IV 2007 V6 silver LPG

Our third Pajero, again the V6 but dual fuel with LPG and secondhand. Again a nice car. Good on the highway and a deceptively small footprint and tight steering for round town and parking. When we bought the car it had an engine error of no gap on an exhaust valve from the hot-burning LPG. Under warranty, it took the dealer 6 weeks and thousands in spare parts before they found the problem.

The car was set up for 4WD touring but we didn't do much in the 8 years we had the car.

Toyota Kluger AWD KX-R 2010 new

Not long after returning from UAE Judy leased a Toyota Kluger AWD KX-R. A VS with 185 kW, it needed AWD rather than 2WD for high-speed commuting from Gold Coast to Brisbane on the M1. While quite powerful for a big SUV, handling was a bit like a barge. "Too bland", says Judy, so we replace it at the end of the lease with another V8 Holden. 

Nissan Skyline R34 1994 GTS25t Hobby car

With Judy driving the Clubsport, I bought another hobby car, a Nissan Skyline R34 1994 GTS25t for $4000 in 2010. Very nice car and fun to play with to go faster with more boost. Kept for many years but did not drive it much.

Holden VE SS Commodore 

After the Kluger lease finished Judy wanted something like her old Clubsport, so we bought a 2006 VE Commodore SS 6-litre V8 auto. We installed liquid-injection LPG, rather than conventional vapour LPG for $4k and boy did it go, all with 4 cylinder economy. It was for commuting from Helensvale, Gold Coast to Chermside in Brisbane.

In keeping with the pink-trim Clubsport, we fitted pink tiger-skin seat covers and new mufflers to get some of the broom-broom back. Sold when Judy retired and replaced with an Outlander.

Mitsubishi Pajero VT 2018 turbo-diesel auto; current car 2020

In a bit of a whim, we replaced both the 2007 Pajero and the 2006 Commodore at the end of the financial year sale in 2018, buying a new Pajero for about $50k and a near new Outlander. We had a factory bullbar fitted, much better than aftermarket as it just replaces the bumper, as well as towing pack.

Best move ever with the Pajero, the fourth and the best after 25 years of driving Pajeros. Turbo diesel is great especially towing a caravan. Very good touring car and good around the suburbs as they are not as big as what they look, just taller. Easy to get in and out, good as we get older. Again 7-seats for flexibility. A current car as of November 2020 and a keeper.

Mitsubishi Outlander AWD 2.4-litre petrol CVT

Bought in mid-2018 with the Pajero. An ex-Commonwealth Games car with only 5k km for $28k. We had a towbar fitted so we could carry kayaks on the roof but too tall in practice. A trailer behind the Pajero works better. An ok car but neither of us liked the CVT (constantly variable transmission) or the electric power steering. Sold after about 5 months to buy the Mercedes CLK500.

Mercedes 2004 SLK500 V8 auto convertible

We bought the SLK500 for $15k as a second car, rather than a hobby car, but not as comfortable or as accessible as an SUV. Great car to drive and especially boulevard cruising Surfers Paradise with the top down. The colour was black-green, a very dark green; nice.

Not particularly reliable, German engineering is over-rated. Mainly trouble with auxiliaries; roof, ac and seatbelts but expensive genuine parts. AU$2500 for a roof strut! Sold for $12k as too impractical and expensive to repair for the RAV4 after about 9 months.

Toyota RAV4 AWD turbo-diesel auto; current car 2020

The Rav4 replaces the SLK500, purchased for $22k, very reasonable. An ex-government car from North Qld; red dust lurking. Like the Pajero, a turbo-diesel auto AWD for high-speed driving on the M1 motorway, a fact of life on the Gold Coast. I just love the turbo diesels; just no effort for them with heaps of torque.

Mercedes 220S 1959 manual; current hobby car, actual photo

I missed my hobby cars so bought a 220S for $15k mid-2020, similar to the one I had 30 years before. In good condition for a 60 years old car with new paint, engine reconditioned, shockers and the interior restored but needing a little TLC after being in storage for 15 years. Unfortunately, the prolonged storage resulted in a corroded cylinder head, gummed up carburettors and brake leaks. All being attended to now before I can get it registered. Certainly grand to drive; albeit around the block at the moment. Personalised plates MBZ 220.

See other posts on this blog for more information and progress.

Mercedes 450SL Roadster 1973 auto V8; current hobby car

Maybe watching too many car shows on TV I bought a 450SL for $20k; two is a collection isn't it? I had to get the car transported from Ballarat in Victoria to Highland Park on the Gold Coast, taking about 8 weeks because of border closures due to Covid-19.

As a roadster, it has a soft top and an optional removable hardtop as shown in the photo. It had been running LPG but was converted back to petrol-only by The Benzshed where I bought it. The car is in very good condition for its age and no rust, unusual for the model. However, it needs some TLC before I can get it registered. Personalised plates, BNZ 109, with 109 being the chassis number for the model.

The difference between the 220S and the 450SL is huge given only about 10 years between them.

The 450SL was very expensive when released, the price of a Ferrari and twice that of an E-tye Jaguar. However, they made the same model for 18 years from 1971 to 1989 with minor updates mainly to the mechanicals, so there are lots of them and the price now is modest. In its day it was a very advanced car with analogue fuel infection, all-wheel disk brakes and more.

See other posts on this blog for more information.